What did you do in the Apiary today?

[Speybee]

Fed mine using the juice from rendering beeswax.... I'd originally harvested some frames that I was unable to put through an extractor. The brown mush that was left after squeezing the comb through a sieve was first fed back to them in their plastic feeders. After they'd eaten most of the honey on the mush, I removed what was left in the feeders, generally a paler yellowish crumb like substance, of mainly wax crumbs plus a bit of uneaten honey and pollen. the mush was then boiled up in a slow cook to extract the wax. The resulting liquid was then fed back.

Sorry I don’t want to offend you but the following phrase comes to mind.( thought for the day.... is the source of that recipe, reliable?)
Please Dinnae NO dae that!
If it’s yellow, let it mellow
If it’s brown, flush it down.

 

[beeno]

Checked that all my queens were laying after treatment and feeding. Might be able to sell a couple of nucs in the spring!

 

[The Poot in Somerset]

Fed the last of this years unripe honey back to two colonies. Fed two others with fondant.
Tried to melt wax in the solar melter, but the sun wasn’t hot enough - very high filtering haze.
Will try again tomorrow.

 

[BugsInABox]

This afternoon I put the Nuc I made up at the end of last month in the wbc, and continued feeding it.
Other 4 hives inspected to get general idea of the size of the colony, stores, disease.
Treated with Apivar strips and fed Hive 1, using Ashforth feeder filled with 2:1 syrup.
Did not have time to feed the other 3, which will be done tomorrow.

2 hives or 4 hives - I’m confused?

 

[Speybee]

2 hives or 4 hives - I’m confused?

I number my hives.
Numbers 1, 2, 3, 4.
I have 4 hives and 1 Nuc.
I fed 1 hive ( number 1) did not have time to feed the other 3 hives.
Hive 1 fed with 2:1 syrup.
The proportion being 2 parts sugar to 1 part water.

 

[Speybee]

This afternoon, fed the other remaining hives with 2:1 sugar syrup and wrote up the hive records

 

[Erichalfbee]

Looked for ivy bees on the ivy in the sunshine. No luck.

 

[BugsInABox]

I number my hives.
Numbers 1, 2, 3, 4.
I have 4 hives and 1 Nuc.
I fed 1 hive ( number 1) did not have time to feed the other 3 hives.
Hive 1 fed with 2:1 syrup.
The proportion being 2 parts sugar to 1 part water.

Which ones went to the heather?

 

[T.Cookson]

One of 2 stands I’m making. I’m moving my garden hives to an out apiary after 5 years in the garden. This stand almost done. A couple of braces required for the legs. I don’t think this will collapse.

 

[pargyle]

Clearer boards on all the hives ... some supers were so heavy I could barely lift them - some very fat combs in there.

It was after 4.30pm by the time I started ... breezy but not cold ... I was expecting the worst. Pleasantly suprised, hardly bees any came out to greet me and what few did were just curious about what was going on. had the smoker going just in case... never even picked it up. There were a couple of wasps buzzing around but there does not seem to be any going near the hive entrances.

So I should be able to test the 'new' extractor tomorrow all being well ... I've warned 'er indoors that the carnage is due and weathered the frosty stare ... with any luck I will make no mess and will remove the last sticky speck of honey in some obscure location that only the eagle touch of 'er indoors would ever find.

The casters are on the extractor - couple of adjustments to make - the only worry I have is whether I can get it through the back door and into the kitchen ... watch this space !

 

[GuyNir]

Clearer boards on all the hives ... some supers were so heavy I could barely lift them - some very fat combs in there.

It was after 4.30pm by the time I started ... breezy but not cold ... I was expecting the worst. Pleasantly suprised, hardly bees any came out to greet me and what few did were just curious about what was going on. had the smoker going just in case... never even picked it up. There were a couple of wasps buzzing around but there does not seem to be any going near the hive entrances.

So I should be able to test the 'new' extractor tomorrow all being well ... I've warned 'er indoors that the carnage is due and weathered the frosty stare ... with any luck I will make no mess and will remove the last sticky speck of honey in some obscure location that only the eagle touch of 'er indoors would ever find.

The casters are on the extractor - couple of adjustments to make - the only worry I have is whether I can get it through the back door and into the kitchen ... watch this space !

Hope all goes well tomorrow

 

[beeno]

Did some hefting and the weight of the hives surprised me, but that does not mean that feeding is finished with, as winter bees still under way. They have been very busy today and the wasps did not bother them much, my hoovering at the nest entrance seems to have paid off.

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

my hoovering at the nest entrance seems to have paid off.

Don't wasps like clean carpets then?

 

[E&MBees]

View attachment 22157

One of 2 stands I’m making. I’m moving my garden hives to an out apiary after 5 years in the garden. This stand almost done. A couple of braces required for the legs. I don’t think this will collapse.

Is there enough space in the middle for a nucleus hive? I need to make some stands for my new out apiary.

 

[The Poot in Somerset]

Clearer boards on all the hives ... some supers were so heavy I could barely lift them - some very fat combs in there.

It was after 4.30pm by the time I started ... breezy but not cold ... I was expecting the worst. Pleasantly suprised, hardly bees any came out to greet me and what few did were just curious about what was going on. had the smoker going just in case... never even picked it up. There were a couple of wasps buzzing around but there does not seem to be any going near the hive entrances.

So I should be able to test the 'new' extractor tomorrow all being well ... I've warned 'er indoors that the carnage is due and weathered the frosty stare ... with any luck I will make no mess and will remove the last sticky speck of honey in some obscure location that only the eagle touch of 'er indoors would ever find.

The casters are on the extractor - couple of adjustments to make - the only worry I have is whether I can get it through the back door and into the kitchen ... watch this space !

Hope all goes well for you - and you survive the post- extraction inspection!
You’ve done well to get such heavy supers

 

[The Poot in Somerset]

Today - third vape of all colonies, right on schedule.
I have one that absolutely ROARS when vaped and carries on for quite some time. This single colony is louder than the other three put together, don’t know why...

 

[pargyle]

Hope all goes well for you - and you survive the post- extraction inspection!
You’ve done well to get such heavy supers

I think the crop is just luck ... we had a very warm summer down here on the Costa del Fareham .. so much came into blossom at just the right time and we had an almost constant flow of nectar and pollen from about April onwards ..and they are still finding stuff ... and the ivy is not yet open. One of the benefits of living where I do is I have within easy flying distance - urban gardens, an abundance of trees, allotments, council flower planting, fields and hedgerows and a railway cutting. As long as the sun shines with some rain to keep the nectar flowing my bees are really spoilt for choice. I don't push them but each colony has easily filled two and three supers this year and looking into the brood boxes today (didn't take frames out) they have already stores in three or four frames in the brood boxes. Very pleased with what I've got ... I'll get some photos of the frames when I take the supers off ...

 

[The Poot in Somerset]

I think the crop is just luck ... we had a very warm summer down here on the Costa del Fareham .. so much came into blossom at just the right time and we had an almost constant flow of nectar and pollen from about April onwards ..and they are still finding stuff ... and the ivy is not yet open. One of the benefits of living where I do is I have within easy flying distance - urban gardens, an abundance of trees, allotments, council flower planting, fields and hedgerows and a railway cutting. As long as the sun shines with some rain to keep the nectar flowing my bees are really spoilt for choice. I don't push them but each colony has easily filled two and three supers this year and looking into the brood boxes today (didn't take frames out) they have already stores in three or four frames in the brood boxes. Very pleased with what I've got ... I'll get some photos of the frames when I take the supers off ...

Excellent stuff - I feel a relocation coming on......

 

[pargyle]

Excellent stuff - I feel a relocation coming on......

I'd swap .. we are trying to relocate to somewhere near Frome .. we can't get near to the town because all the DFL's have pushed the prices up to ridiculous levels ...

DFL's - Down from Londoners ...

 

[jenkinsbrynmair]

continued the vaping/feeding rounds. This afternoon was the castle apiary - glorious sunshine and the bees well laid back, not even a guard bee out to investigate when I used the sickle around the front of the hives for a quick tidy up and not a murmur during the vaping. it was so still and warm you even had problems seeing the vapour at the entrance and it wasn't carrying away at all.
All watched over by an audience of inquisitive longhorns and their calves.